“It just meant the world to me,” Walker said, “and it meant the world that [coach] Ben [Johnson] trusted me … It’s funny because pregame, I dropped two passes. I’m like, ‘yeah, it’s gonna be a good game for me,’ because whenever I drop a pass pregame, that’s my one drop. I dropped two. I’m thinking, ‘Oh, I’m gonna catch two.’ So that’s really that’s pretty much what I was thinking, and just trying to be confident and keeping my poise.”
Santos hit the extra point to officially tie the game at 16-16, and after a sack by defensive end Montez Sweat on Packers quarterback Malik Willis on the Packers’ next offensive play, the game went to overtime. From Williams to Johnson and everyone in between, the confidence to secure what would be the fifth most improbable win in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016) radiated across the sideline.
“We just know we’re never out of the fight,” Moore said.
The Bears didn’t just hang in the fight, they took control of it. Following a fourth-down fumble by the Packers, the offense took over at the Chicago 36-yard line. Four plays later, following a 7-yard run by running back D’Andre Swift and an 11-yard carry by back Kyle Monangai, Williams delivered the knockout punch to Moore.
On first-and-10 from the Green Bay 46, Williams faked a handoff to Monangai and proceeded to drop back about 10 yards behind the line of scrimmage. As soon as Williams let the football fly into blustering winds, the next few seconds felt like cinema.
“I was sitting on the bench, and I remember, as soon as the ball went up in the air, it was like a movie where it was like slow motion,” Byard said, “We just stood up. I was looking up at the screen. Then I just start looking at the ball fly and I just watched.
“It was incredible. I’ve been a part of some really cool games, special games in the league, but that’s probably number one.”
After what seemed like forever, the football landed right in the arms of Moore, who caught it over his shoulder with Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon tight in coverage.
